Swim with Crocodiles in Darwin

Ask any local in Darwin, and they'll tell you that the key to swimming in Darwin is to swim somewhere without crocodiles, but at Crocosaurus Cove things are a little different. Here you're lowered down in a fiberglass 'Cage of Death' right into the same swimming pools as their huge crocs.

Swimming with crocodiles probably isn't a hugely common bucket list activity, when it comes to swimming with big scary creatures, swimming with sharks probably tops the list. Nevertheless, consider adding them to your own bucket list, just try and get them on a day when they're feeling active.

Like many bucket list activities, the day starts with signing a long list of waivers. Just so that if you get mauled by a croc, or catch some strange water borne disease, you won't do any suing. Of course it's all very unlikely, but they've always got to take precautions.

You've usually got a bit of time beforehand to walk around and see all the crocodiles, from the big ones to the itty-bitty babies. There are feedings and even a simulation of just how strong their jaws are, it definitely gets your heart racing a little before you actually go in.

Your whole experience is photographed, which you can buy afterwards, but unfortunately you can't take underwater cameras in with you. If you've got someone staying on dry land, they'll always be able to get down to the viewing platform to get some pictures of their own. Even though the photography packages are expensive, they're still tempting.

You start off by climbing down into the cage. It has fiberglass walls, and a metal caged bottom. You're completely protected from the crocodiles, but still get a clear view.

They move you from enclosure to enclosure, to make sure that you get to meet all the crocs. Unfortunately on some days they're just not interested, and will spend most of their time just lying around. It's still pretty incredible to get so close. Other times they'll inquisitively come investigate, or even thrash and crash around your cage.

It's impossible to tell exactly how they behave.

It's not as heart racing as swimming with sharks in the open sea, but it's still a pretty cool experience. If you do plan on adding swimming with crocodiles to your bucket list, this is one of the only places in the world you'll be able to do it.